


high speed

by sundazed



Category: NCT (Band), NU'EST
Genre: Canon Compliant, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-05
Updated: 2019-01-05
Packaged: 2019-10-04 22:58:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,563
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17313461
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sundazed/pseuds/sundazed
Summary: Jaehyun develops a crush on Minhyun after sharing a stage with him, but he’s not entirely sure how to handle his feelings.





	high speed

**Author's Note:**

> to the five people who will read this, WHAT THE HELL ARE WE DOING WITH OUR LIVES 
> 
> but also, I hope you enjoy this half-assed attempt to sprinkle some content on this tag hahahahahaha

It doesn’t begin with a spark, or a flame, or anything remotely pyrotechnical.

It starts with a joke.

“What are you listening to?” Johnny asks on their way to the station, yanking out Jaehyun’s left earbud and putting it on himself. Johnny does this all the time, and had this been any other day, Jaehyun certainly would not have minded. But today isn’t any other day, and Jaehyun immediately flushes, as if he’s just been caught in the act. Johnny gives him a knowing smile, “So you’re listening to this again, huh.” He points an accusing finger at Jaehyun, “And you said you don’t have a crush on him.”

“I don’t!” He hastily retracts the earbud from Johnny, panic quickly rising in his chest. “It’s just—it’s a good album. You should listen to it. He’s great—I mean, they’re great.”

Johnny’s Cheshire cat grin grows even wider, “You know, Taeyong has Jonghyun’s number. And Jonghyun lives with him. All you have to do is _ask_.”

Jaehyun reasons, he just genuinely likes the album. It’s only been a few weeks since its release, and he’s had it on repeat just as long. It’s well put-together: the exceptionally-written lyrics are matched well with melodies that are highly addictive. He swears there’s no hidden agenda attached to it, that it’s definitely not because of how Minhyun’s voice just shines with every song and brings magic to his ears. It’s definitely not _that_.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Jaehyun deadpans, before focusing on his phone to switch to a DJ Khaled song. _Bummer_ , he thinks. He really wanted to hear the chorus.

“Okay, I’m joking. But I’m just saying—you guys have been acquainted because of that Eddy Kim cover song anyway, why not try getting closer to him?”

“I mean, what would we talk about? What if he thinks I’m boring?” Jaehyun spits out, not realizing what he’s saying before he’s said it aloud. He bites his lip, turning away from Johnny who looks like he’s going to rip his cheeks from smiling. “Shut up. Just—shut up.”

“Okay. Whatever you say.”

Jaehyun thinks that’s the end of it, and that he could sit through the remaining ten-minute drive to the station, but Johnny pushes some more after a few minutes of short-lived silence. “Do you want me to slip your number into his sandwich? I could do that for you. What are friends fo—“

Before Jaehyun could retaliate, their manager spins around to announce that they’ve arrived, signaling them to get off and get ready for tonight’s broadcast. Jaehyun tries to hide his relief, but Johnny’s evidently not ready to drop the topic just yet.

As they go through the script for the night, Johnny leans in and whispers, “Let’s do it this weekend.”

Jaehyun opens his mouth to say something, but the red light switches on, the signature intro plays, and his protest never sees the light of day as it gets drowned out by his own voice that robotically shifts to his Jae-D voice.

  
In hindsight, Jaehyun should’ve seen this coming. He should’ve known Johnny wouldn’t forget about it, wouldn’t just let the chance slip his fingers. When it comes to jokes, Johnny takes the “half-meant” part to heart. Admittedly, it had seemed like a better idea than asking Taeyong to ask Jonghyun for Minhyun’s number. Too many parties would be involved, and he’s just not ready to answer any questions Taeyong’s going to throw his way (even though he could have just lied and said it’s for an NCT Night Night guesting).

But now, as he watches Johnny escape his grip and hurriedly snake his way through the cafeteria to NU’EST’s table on the other side, with the sandwich (and Jaehyun’s number) in hand and the biggest shit-eating grin on his face, Jaehyun feels like throwing up.

And even so, Jaehyun still finds himself glued to his supportive yet annoying giant ass jerk of a friend, who is now a few feet away from his destination. Meanwhile, the eight other members, who were apparently instructed early on by Johnny to _shut their holes and act natural_ , are doing anything but.

A bashful Haechan scoots closer to Jaehyun, poking a playful finger to his side, “Hyung, I didn’t take you for the aggressive lover boy type.”

“And here I thought people chased after _you_ ,” Yuta chimes in, wiggling his eyebrows from across the table. “Our Jaehyunnie’s all grown up!” Yuta adds, flagged by Mark who’s giggling in between bites of his donut and Winwin who’s just as amused by the situation. Even Taeil doesn’t seem to have any plans on stopping them from gawking.

Jaehyun sees Doyoung and Taeyong biting back their own laughter before he buries his head into his hands. This was _definitely_ a bad idea. He feels his neck and cheeks go hotter by the minute, the snickering beside him growing louder and more conspicuous. _So much for acting natural_ , Jaehyun whines in his head.

“The eagle has landed,” Haechan half-shouts, half-whispers. “I repeat, the eagle has landed.”

“Jae, look,” Jungwoo whispers to him after a while. Tilting his head ever so slightly, Jaehyun pathetically sneaks a peek in between his fingers, and he spots Johnny animatedly talk to Minhyun, whose back is thankfully turned back to him. “Cute, he’s just as shy as you. Look at his ears going red.”

With the storm brewing inside of him, Jaehyun doesn’t notice it at first, but he squints and sees that Minhyun is _indeed_ just as flustered as he is, with his equally intrigued members listening in on his conversation with Johnny. He puts his guards down for awhile, before looking away again once he sees Minki turn their way.

“Oh my god, this was a bad idea,” Jaehyun grunts, closing his eyes as he rubs at his neck which feels like it’s on fire.

Haechan nudges his side, “Oh, that was quick. The devil’s on his way back.”

True enough, Johnny’s already sauntering back to their table, again with the grin that Jaehyun wants to punch right off his face. The entire table holds their breath and waits in anticipation, sandwiches and donuts and fruit packs all ignored by their respective owners.

Jaehyun pretends to not care, tries not to dwell on the tsunami that’s about to swallow him whole, and focuses on his bag of potato chips. But when Johnny _finally_ returns to his seat, the demon doesn’t say a word about the interaction, nor try to get Jaehyun’s attention. Instead, he continues sipping on his Americano and engages Mark in small talk.

 _Jaehyun’s going to kill him_.

Before he could say or do anything, Jaehyun spots the NU’EST boys clean their table before taking their leave. Jonghyun quickly glances at their table, waving at Taeyong who returns the gesture. The four other boys follow suit, and Jaehyun can’t deny that his heart takes one final leap when he sees Minhyun flash a small, shy smile. With them leaving, at least, Jaehyun’s thundering chest can calm down a little now.

Haechan’s one step ahead of him though, “So what happened, hyung?! I’m dying here.”

Everyone turns to Johnny, who’s sitting there like he has no idea what Haechan’s talking about. Jaehyun thinks about kicking his shin under the table.

It’s Haechan who puts Jaehyun’s frustration into action again and actually kicks Johnny’s foot. Johnny laughs. He’s always been so fond of the maknae—Haechan could be the biggest little shit, and Johnny would still think he’s cute.

“It went well, I guess. I mean, it was quick but I found out a few helpful things about Minhyun.”

_Like?_

“Like?” Yuta prods, letting his cheek rest on his hand and turning completely to Johnny.

“Like, he’s really into musicals and he’s actually going to one this weekend and that he’d love it if we could come with,” Johnny announces quickly, staring at Jaehyun and obviously waiting for any kind of response.

And, although, deep _deep_ down, Jaehyun’s grateful for what Johnny did, he doesn’t want to give him the satisfaction just yet. He doesn’t want Johnny to see him crack _just yet_.

Jaehyun pretends to sigh in relief in an attempt to mask his real disappointment, “Too bad we have a scheduled fansign this weekend. Oh well, I guess it just isn’t—“

“Which is why,” Johnny drags the word, “I told him we could meet up tomorrow instead! Yay!”

Oh, _fuck_.

 

* * *

 

[09:48PM] unknown number: hi, jaehyun-ssi! this is hwang minhyun. johnny told me to text you about tomorrow, but a schedule came up and I don’t think we can make it :(  
[10:06PM] jaehyun: oh, hello! that’s too bad. next time then?:)  
[10:07PM] minhyun<3: okay :D

 

* * *

 

 

Unfortunately, with both their groups becoming progressively busy, “next time” doesn’t come as soon as Jaehyun would hope. As NCT 2019 prepares for yet another comeback, NU’EST has also announce that they’re currently in the thick of working on another album.

( _Cockblocked by their own schedule. Damn._ )

With their packed schedule, Jaehyun manages to forget about his little crush on Minhyun, his mind and body working in overdrive to constantly improve where he thinks he’s still lacking, and to polish the routines wherever there’s any rough edges.

Long days in the practice room are paired with long nights of work with Johnny on Ennana (and some rest), even their weekends are filled to the brim with photoshoots and video recordings. He’s occasionally go out with Johnny and Winwin for quick R&R’s at the nearby coffee shop, but that’s about it.

As per usual, comeback season creeps up slow and passes fast; soon enough, it’s year-end awards show season already and Jaehyun (along with a few other members) is again invited to do a special stage.

They’re constantly reminded how important these collaborations are, and Jaehyun’s undoubtedly grateful for the opportunity, but when he sees the lineup, he can’t deny that he got a little disappointed when he found out he isn’t sharing the stage with Minhyun again.

 

  
“I’m over that tiny crush, my ass,” Johnny teases, and it’s only then that Jaehyun realizes that he’s been practically put in a trance as soon as Minhyun had appeared in front of them. Still buzzed from their own performance of 2PM’s I’ll Be, Jaehyun had quickly run back to his seat with his other members when he found out Minhyun’s special stage is only one performance after theirs.

“I really am, though. I’m over it,” Jaehyun says, quite unconvincingly, as he hums along to the ballad Minhyun’s singing with his former group mates, Seongwu, Sungwoon, and Daehwi, onstage.

Jaehyun doesn’t hear whatever retort Johnny comes up with because it’s immediately drowned out by Minhyun’s unbelievably heavenly voice. He’s no stranger to it, with him religiously listening to the new songs NU’EST had put out in the past year, but Jaehyun still gets surprised by it, how it feels like Minhyun’s pouring honey into his ears.

(“I think he’s about to reach nirvana. Should we snap him out of it?” Johnny whispers to Doyoung, who immediately replies with, “Let the lover boy be.”)

As soon as the last lyric is sung, the crowd doesn’t miss a beat and breaks into cheers and applause. Jaehyun does the same, too, and he feels an overwhelming feeling of happiness bubble inside of him. He’s just proud of his friend is all.

(“Oh my god, he’s totally whipped.”)

When the show comes to a close, all of the groups come up onstage, with interactions ranging from polite yet hesitant greetings to friendly hugs and banter. Jaehyun spots Minhyun almost intuitively, and then Minhyun sees him too. It’s Minhyun who breaks into a smile first, and Jaehyun smiles just as warmly.  
Before he knows it, he’s walking towards the other end of the stage, where NU’EST and some other Wanna One boys have crowded at, with Taeyong and Johnny thankfully tailing right behind him. Where this sudden burst of confidence is coming from, even Jaehyun doesn’t know, but he feels good about it.

However, his confident exterior comes crashing down when, just as he’s about to give Minhyun one of those half-hug, half-handshake, Seongwu latches onto Minhyun’s arm and unintentionally drags him away. Dumbfounded, Jaehyun tries to laugh it off, and joins Taeyong and Johnny in greeting the other NU’EST boys. But any kind of conversation is drowned out, as his eyes scour the crowd for Minhyun.

“...and Jaehyun actually loved your performance earlier! Didn’t you, Jaehyun?”

“Y-yes, I did,” Jaehyun stammers out as Minhyun rejoins them. He remembers what transpired a few moments ago, and he feels like his legs are going to give out anytime soon. So he quickly adds, “Congratulations on the award, by the way.”

“Hey, sorry about that,” Minhyun waves at him as the rest of the group get into a heated discussion on who could dance Gashina better amongst them as the 2017 hit suddenly plays in the background. “Guess he missed me too much.”

“Nah, it’s okay. You guys were great today.”

“Thank you, I loved your stage too.”

Yeah, Jaehyun’s definitely _not_ over that crush.

Minhyun continues, “I can’t believe it’s been a year since that stage we did.”

“Yeah, I know. Time really flies. I think I even saw Eunwoo somewhere....”

“Yeah. Bummer we never got to hang out.”

“Yeah...”

“Yeah.”

“Actually,” Jaehyun gulps, and Johnny’s probably eavesdropping because he nudges him forward. “Do you guys have some time off? I mean, I know we’re both swamped with rehearsals for the gayos, but if you want to, I don’t know, hang out, there’s this place—“

“Sounds great!”

“Oh.”

“I think we have Tuesday off, how about you guys?”

 _Oh_.

“Yeah, Tuesday sounds awesome. I mean—yeah. I’m—we’re free on Tuesday.”

“Good,” Minhyun smiles, bobbing his head to the song playing. Jaehyun’s actually thankful for the ruckus ing in every direction, at least they can’t hear his heart hammering in his chest from the exhilaration of setting up a - _date?_ \- with Hwang Minhyun. “I’ll text you later, then?”

“Yeah, no problem,” Jaehyun flashes him a dimpled smile as he gets dragged away by Johnny and Taeyong back to the other NCT members.

But Johnny doesn’t even wait till they’ve reached them before saying, “Oh my god, you finally did it! And it only took you a year!” He wipes at the nonexistent tears filling his eyes, “I am so proud of you.”

“Shut up, the kids might hear you. I don’t want to deal with Haechan’s teasing right now.”

“You’re happy, aren’t you?” Johnny scrunches his nose at him, and he thanks the heavens for having a friend and a wingman in Johnny.

Jaehyun retorts, “I’m over the moon,” before throwing his head back, laughing at the cheesiness.

 

* * *

 

[02:47AM] minhyun: so, tuesday? :)  
[02:48AM] jaehyun: yes, sure! I’ll send you the directions tomorrow.  
[02:50AM] minhyun: alright. but I think you’re stuck with me. everyone else already has plans apparently :/  
[02:52AM] jaehyun: that’s fine! I asked johnny hyung and taeyong hyung to come, but they’re busy too :(  
[02:52AM] minhyun: I guess it’s just you and me then.  
[02:53AM] jaehyun: I guess so...  
[02:53AM] minhyun: I’m looking forward to it! goodnight~ :D  
[02:54AM] jaehyun: holy shit  
[02:54AM] jaehyun: whoops wrong sent haha  
[02:55AM] jaehyun: yes, see you soon. goodnight!

**Author's Note:**

> scream at/with me on @smittenwithong!


End file.
